U.S. Attorney to discuss religious freedom, hate crimes with interfaith group

Jun. 18, 2013

Guest speaker Daniel Tutt talks with Jews, Muslims and Christians during an interfaith event earlier this year. The Family of Abraham at Christ Church Cathedral draws Jews, Muslims and Christians to interact with each other. / John Partipilo / File / The Tennessean

Written by

Bob Smietana

The Tennessean

The Family of Abraham, a Nashville-based interfaith group, will hold a discussion Thursday on religious freedom and hate crimes with Blanche Cook, a Department of Justice lawyer.

The event, entitled “Human Rights, Civil Liberties, and Religious Freedom,” starts at 7 p.m. and is hosted by Glendale Baptist Church at 1201 Glendale Lane in Nashville.

“The Department of Justice has been on the vanguard of defending the rights of all who live in our state,” said Mary Shelton, founding member of Family of Abraham. “This is about the United States; this is about freedom of religion.”

Family of Abraham was founded by local Jews, Christians and Muslims to promote interfaith understanding. They’ve held previous events at West End United Methodist Church, University School of Nashville, Christ Church Cathedral and Lipscomb University.

Cook, an assistant United States attorney, helped prosecute Javier Alan Correa, 25, a Texas man who threatened to bomb the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in 2011. Correa pleaded guilty earlier this month to obstructing persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs.

Correa wasn’t punished for making comments that were critical of Islam, said Cook. His crime was threatening violence.

“It’s important we remember that there was a bomb threat,” she said.

On Thursday Cook will discuss how the government defines hate crimes and what kinds of actions are classified as hate crimes. Cook said that hate crime laws are meant to protect the rights of all citizens.

“Every race is protected, every religion is protected, every gender is protected,” she said. “These are constitutional protections that everyone shares.”

A similar meeting held in Manchester, Tenn., on June 4 caused controversy when audience members began heckling law enforcement officials during their speeches. That meeting was organized by the Nashville-based American Muslim Advisory Council. Many of the hecklers shouted anti-Muslim remarks.

The Manchester meeting was scheduled after a Facebook post by Coffee Commissioner Barry West suggested that Muslims were best greeted behind a shotgun barrel. West has since apologized.

Cook plans to comment on the event in Manchester during her talk. She said federal law protects religious freedom for all.